PhotoRiyaHow to convert a photo to black and white
Drop a photo onto the box above and it turns black and white straight away. Choose a Colour filter to change how colours become grays, move Contrast for a flatter or punchier look, and tick Add film grain for a classic feel. Press Download when you are happy.
Good black and white photos depend on contrast between tones, not on colour. Photos with strong light and shadow, clear textures or bold shapes usually look best.
What the colour filters do
Black and white film sees the world through the coloured filter on the lens. A red filter lightens reds and darkens blues, so skies turn dark and dramatic and skin looks smooth. An orange or yellow filter does the same more gently. A green filter brightens foliage, and a blue filter darkens skin and lightens haze.
The Infrared look pushes green strongly up and blue down, so leaves and grass turn white and skies turn almost black. The Natural filter weighs the colours like the human eye does, with green counted most and blue least.
The mixing is done in linear light, so mid grays keep their brightness, and every filter keeps pure white white and pure black black.
Tips for a better black and white photo
Raise Contrast for flat, hazy photos and lower it for harsh midday light. Try the red filter on landscapes and the yellow or orange filter on portraits. For a tinted look, try the duotone generator or the sepia filter.
Questions people ask
How do I convert a photo to black and white?
Drop your photo onto the converter above. It turns black and white at once. Pick a colour filter, adjust the contrast, then press Download.
What is the best way to get a good black and white photo?
Use contrast between light and dark. A red filter darkens skies and makes clouds stand out, and the contrast slider adds punch to flat photos.
Is black and white the same as grayscale?
Almost. Grayscale means only shades of gray, and this tool makes exactly that. The difference is in how the colours are mixed: the colour filters let you choose which colours come out light and which come out dark.
Does it keep my photo's quality?
Yes. Photos are processed at full size up to 4,096 pixels on the long side. Choose PNG for no loss, or JPG for the smallest files.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs inside your browser tab, on your own device, and nothing is sent anywhere. That also makes it instant: there's no upload or queue.
What size is the result?
Photos are kept at their full size up to 4,096 pixels on the long side. Larger photos are reduced to that, which is still more than enough for screens and A4 prints.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no limit, no watermark and no account. PhotoRiya is open source under the MIT and Apache 2.0 licenses.
More free tools
- Grayscale image converter JPG, PNG, WebP and moreConvert any image to grayscale and save it as PNG, JPG or WebP.
- Duotone photo generator pick any two coloursTurn a photo into a duotone with any two colours or a preset.
- Photo to sketch converter pencil, charcoal and inkTurn a photo into a pencil sketch, colour pencil, charcoal or ink drawing.